Orienteering at Worthlodge Forest

Published on 16/05/18

Named after a British World Orienteering Championship gold medallist, the Yvette Baker Trophy is the national competition for junior club orienteers. Three members of the Claremont Fan Court School orienteering squad running in the colours of Mole Valley took part in the south-east qualifying round at Worthlodge Forest in Sussex at the weekend.

The weather was good and the ground relatively dry underfoot, but the dense early summer undergrowth made navigation and relocation tricky. The three boys, all running on the Green course, had to concentrate hard and reduce their pace to stay in contact with the map. Nathan J was 49th in 82:56, closely followed by Robert G in 50th place in 83:53, while Alexander O was a little quicker, coming in 40th in 71:52. Despite the slow times, their aggregate score of 282 points was enough to lift Mole Valley into 3rd place behind Guildford Orienteers and Southdowns Orienteers. The squad is now looking forward to its first relay event, the South-East Relays on 17 June.